Brand new to X5 and BMW - big difference between 20" and 22" wheels on stock susp.?

[bawareca]

Now when I think about it I dont really see how warranty companies will collect defect rate and repair information from manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes, etc, and honestly, any manufacturer. It is very probably that their foundation is risk assessment and management rather that a real world data.
After all it is like the health or any other insurance. The company will loose money on some and profit from many others. My wife is shocked that our [new] dental insurance cover almost nothing, but their name is "XXXXXX Financial company", not "Healthcare company"

[ryanjoe13]

Originally Posted by absentmathis

My warranty company knows exactly what model I have. It is extremely easy to track costs by model/option.

Ryan, who is 'requiring' companies to issue these warranties?

My understanding, I could be wrong, was that the warranty companies cannot pick and choose what years and trims they offer warranties on. If you offer a warranty for BMW X5, then they must offer it for all of the trim levels.

Not sure if that's true for BMW as a whole, or just the X5 model as a whole, but that was my understanding.

[ryanjoe13]

A warranty company wouldn't be called a warranty company unless it serviced every customer.

It's not about making money on every individual warranty deal but rather seeing the bigger picture and making money on 10,000 deals in a pool together. Some will be losers and others will be winners.

These companies give warranties on crap like dishwashers and microwaves and lawnmowers. They must have 10s to 100s of thousands of warranties that they never pay a single penny on.

I don't think they really give a shit if they lose a couple grand on a car here and there to be honest. They get out of paying on certain issues so many times as well that they probably aren't concerned

[absentmathis]

Originally Posted by ryanjoe13

A warranty company wouldn't be called a warranty company unless it serviced every customer.

Sorry, but that's just false. Sadly there are plenty of crap "warranty" companies.

Originally Posted by ryanjoe13

It's not about making money on every individual warranty deal but rather seeing the bigger picture and making money on 10,000 deals in a pool together. Some will be losers and others will be winners.

EXACTLY. This is what I've been saying. Thing is, they make money more often than they lose money. And any decent company isn't going to warranty a whole model line of cars without doing their due diligence on their return. It's naive to think that they just accept losing money on V8 X5s.

Originally Posted by ryanjoe13

I don't think they really give a shit if they lose a couple grand on a car here and there to be honest. They get out of paying on certain issues so many times as well that they probably aren't concerned

Again, that part is right. It's just that more often than not, they aren't going to pay out more than they make. They simply wouldn't warranty a V8 X5 if they lost money on every one. There is no requirement for a warranty company to cover any car. You also contradicted your first statement - a warranty company can't be considered to honorably "service every customer" and "get out of paying on certain issues so many times."

Originally Posted by ryanjoe13

These companies give warranties on crap like dishwashers and microwaves and lawnmowers. They must have 10s to 100s of thousands of warranties that they never pay a single penny on.

Some may, some do not. They still aren't going to add a product to their 'warrantied' list if they lose more than they make on that product. Take a look around the internet at what generally reputable groups have to say about third-party warranties - USAA, Consumer Reports, Consumer Affairs, Edmonds, etc.

If you want a warranty for peace of mind, get one! But the assumption that it's automatically going to be a positive return on your investment is a bad one.

[bawareca]

Originally Posted by absentmathis

But the assumption that it's automatically going to be a positive return on your investment is a bad one.

It will be, for this model this is axiom. Valve seals, leaking valley pipe and alternator bracket/oil cooler gasket are a few thousands a pop. Sometimes the engine goes because this gasket is not replaced on time. There is no cheaper repair than $1k for this engine and most are much more, at a repair shop that is, not DIY. There is no way his repairs will be double the premium period in the warranty period, even if only the powertrain is covered.

[ryanjoe13]

Originally Posted by absentmathis

Some may, some do not. They still aren't going to add a product to their 'warrantied' list if they lose more than they make on that product. Take a look around the internet at what generally reputable groups have to say about third-party warranties - USAA, Consumer Reports, Consumer Affairs, Edmonds, etc.

If you want a warranty for peace of mind, get one! But the assumption that it's automatically going to be a positive return on your investment is a bad one.

It's an interesting debate. I agree the consumer reports and ratings are very poor for these warranty companies. They're in the business to find loopholes and reasons not to pay, poor customer service etc.

I just wonder if I could really count on them to pay on a very major engine problem that's obviously covered under the warranty but costs like 3, 4, 5k or more.

[ryanjoe13]

Originally Posted by ryanjoe13

...So, any issues I need to look for besides the coolant Valley Leak?

Buddy of mine who owns dealership is offering it to me for $24,000 with 34K Miles, one owner in Vancouver, BC. Traded in at Mercedes of Vancouver. Definite Asian soccer mom style lol.

4.8i V8, heads up display, premium audio, air suspension, rear DVD system, power liftgate, backup sensors & camera... pretty much loaded w/ options. Going to replace stock wheels anyways, so don't mind lack of sport package wheels.

Should I purchase the 48 month, 48,000 mile powertrain warranty for $2,888?

I've had a couple friends recommend the warranty. Any input would be appreciated!!

Here is what my buddy outlined at issues after he dropped it of at a reputable BMW mechanic in our area. He will be covering the cost of all of these repairs.

--------------------------

"That's why I called you today, I dropped the car yesterday at CPR, they started working on it.

The items that needed to be replaced were as follows:

1. Valve cover gasket ( I already knew about this and it needed to be done as soon as possible)

2. Upper timing chain gasket (it had a minor oil leak)

3. The coolant pipe that you mentioned (there was a very very minor coolant leak near the O-rings) this one needs to be addressed in probably next 30k miles. It was not in need of immediate attention, but since I want to get you the best car possible, I had mechanic take care of it while he had engine open.

Knowing you wanted a perfect car I have authorized them to repair all 3 stated items. I am hooping I can pick up the car tomorrow afternoon.

The entire repair came to $3,850 dollars for parts and labor, which I am covering as we agreed upon.

I also had them use the Pentosin NF coolant brand that you requested when they flushed the coolant. The oil was also changed."

----------------


Wow! Thank god for these forums because I would've never known about the coolant issue otherwise.

Is there anything here that raises a huge red flag with these repairs at 34,500 miles? I am going with my buddy tomorrow to pick up the truck from this mechanic, any questions I should ask in addition to reviewing the work order?

BTW, all of these items also carry a 12,000 mile warranty from the shop.

[ryanjoe13]

Originally Posted by ryanjoe13

...So, any issues I need to look for besides the coolant Valley Leak?

Buddy of mine who owns dealership is offering it to me for $24,000 with 34K Miles, one owner in Vancouver, BC. Traded in at Mercedes of Vancouver. Definite Asian soccer mom style lol.

4.8i V8, heads up display, premium audio, air suspension, rear DVD system, power liftgate, backup sensors & camera... pretty much loaded w/ options. Going to replace stock wheels anyways, so don't mind lack of sport package wheels.

Should I purchase the 48 month, 48,000 mile powertrain warranty for $2,888?

I've had a couple friends recommend the warranty. Any input would be appreciated!!

Here is what my buddy outlined at issues after he dropped it of at a reputable BMW mechanic in our area. He will be covering the cost of all of these repairs.

--------------------------

"That's why I called you today, I dropped the car yesterday at CPR, they started working on it.

The items that needed to be replaced were as follows:

1. Valve cover gasket ( I already knew about this and it needed to be done as soon as possible)

2. Upper timing chain gasket (it had a minor oil leak)

3. The coolant pipe that you mentioned (there was a very very minor coolant leak near the O-rings) this one needs to be addressed in probably next 30k miles. It was not in need of immediate attention, but since I want to get you the best car possible, I had mechanic take care of it while he had engine open.

Knowing you wanted a perfect car I have authorized them to repair all 3 stated items. I am hooping I can pick up the car tomorrow afternoon.

The entire repair came to $3,850 dollars for parts and labor, which I am covering as we agreed upon.

I also had them use the Pentosin NF coolant brand that you requested when they flushed the coolant. The oil was also changed."

----------------


Wow! Thank god for these forums because I would've never known about the coolant issue otherwise.

Is there anything here that raises a huge red flag with these repairs at 34,500 miles? I am going with my buddy tomorrow to pick up the truck from this mechanic, any questions I should ask in addition to reviewing the work order?

BTW, all of these items also carry a 12,000 mile warranty from the shop.

[Suge206]

Is it stolen? Major accidents? Seems odd that he could put that much into and still get it out to you at that price with that low of miles?

[ryanjoe13]

Originally Posted by Suge206

Is it stolen? Major accidents? Seems odd that he could put that much into and still get it out to you at that price with that low of miles?

Hahah, no not stolen. No accidents, clean history in Vancouver BC.

It's just a good friend of mine and he wants to get me a quality vehicle. He's actually taking a loss on what he paid for the car in Vancouver + covering those extra repairs vs what he's selling it to me for.

I'm giving him my Audi on a trade though so he will make up the difference on that. He's not worried about making $ on this particular deal w/ me.

Actually going with him this evening to pick up the truck at the shop who did all the work. He's obviously not trying to pull any fast ones on me, but I'm going to take the car for my own pre-purchase inspection anyways. Just to triple-check that I have everything covered.

The truck was inspected before he finalized purchase in Vancouver, again by this BMW/Porsche shop that he uses in Bellevue, WA, and then will be inspected a third time for my PPI. Does anyone recommend taking it to the BMW dealer for my PPI? Or is that a waste of money? Should I just go to the mechanic that I trust who I have a history with working on my Audi w/ great results? Any input would be appreciated.